Erectile dysfunction is a condition in which a male is not capable of attaining an erect penis that is sufficiently rigid for sexual penetration or sexual satisfaction. It is a common problem, especially in older males. Normally, when a man becomes sexually aroused his penis becomes engorged with blood thereby not only increasing the size of the penis, but also making the penis rigid and erect to enable sexual penetration. An average flaccid penis is, for example, between 3 to 4 inches long, and it increases in length to about 5 to 7 inches when erect. An erect penis contains 6 to 7 times the blood volume of a flaccid penis. During erection, the arterial rate of blood flowing into the penis is greater than the returning venous rate of blood flowing from the penis to the torso, and this leads to accumulation of blood within the corpus cavernosum and the resulting engorgement of the penis.
There are potentially many physical and psychophysical reasons for erectile dysfunction, but most cases involve excessive venous leak from the penis in one form or another. The amount of venous leak varies among men having erectile dysfunction, and thus the extent of the dysfunction varies. For example, some men are able to achieve erection, however, are likely to loose the erection before ejaculation. Surgical techniques for reducing or eliminating venous leak have proven to be largely unreliable.
It is well known that the penile arteries are located deep within the penis, and the veins which return blood to the torso are located principally adjacent the skin. Therefore, it has long been known to use constrictor rings or the like to constrict the base of the penis in order to reduce venous leak and enhance the maintenance of erection.
Besides constrictor rings, there are several types of physical treatment for impotence. The various treatments include drugs and pharmaceuticals, prostheses that may be inserted into the penis (for example inflatable rods), and vacuum devices which draw blood into the corpus cavernosum causing the penis to become engorged and erect coupled with an elastic constrictor ring placed around the base of the penis in order to maintain the erection. Obviously, some of these treatments have side effects, whereas others are cumbersome and/or somewhat expensive.